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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a music group
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. race — humankind
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. race — a contest
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com